The Incredible Hulk #1

 "You keep  out of this, Betty! This is man talk!"

There are a couple of short stories from Tales to Astonish in the order, but I'm skipping them. They're standard pre-Marvel Age monster fare, and only in the order because the relevant monsters re-appear much, much later., and only once, as a novelty As I'm not sure whether or not I'll be going past the early '90s or so (although, well, we'll see!), they're just too tenuous.

So... the Hulk. The first issue is the early version of the familiar origin story. But it's not quite the narrative we will come to know. Most obviously, the Hulk is grey. His clothing is not quite what it will be. And he may be strong and have a bad attitude, but he's perfectly articulate. Moreover, at this stage, Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk at nightfall, not at moments of stress or anger.

These things in combination give much more of a Jekyll and Hyde feel. Like the Edward Hyde of Stevenson's novella, this Hulk feels to be not so much an actual alter ego as a repressed side of Banner's self. This is fascinating.

It all feels very grounded in 1962, though. The atomic explosion is, well, very Atomic Age. The baddies are very crudely drawn Soviet communists- the Cold War definitely shows. And then there's Rick Jones, looking and talking like a specifically early '60s American teenager- no longer rock 'n' roll, the '60s aren't actually swinging yet, and it all feels very American Graffiti.

The Gargoyle stuff is, of course, very silly- I mean, travelling between the USA and the USSR via rocket? The supposedly genius level Gargoyle travelling alone to the heart of America? And his sudden change of heart at the last minute, allowing Bruce and Rick to implausibly escape?

And yet... yes, like previous instalments in the Marvel Order, this is silly stuff... but that's the vibe at this point, deliberately heightened melodrama. It isn't necessarily a fault, just the way things were. Yes, the silliness makes this issue seem ridiculous today... but it's certainly got something.